Date: February 2, 2022
It all started as a suggestion in the staff check-in yesterday. Temperatures in Alexandria have been below freezing. We still have some snow lingering from the storm. This is virtually unprecedented. Normally, the snowfall comes; subsequent days are warm; and the snow melts. But this year, it has been bitterly cold.
So, we are pretty sure that no one has taken the bikes out. Dr. Gail-Selina Hewitt-Clarke and Ms. Elly Hahn put up their hands: “We are more than ready to take the bikes out.” They are the first. It is now official our Capital Bikeshare station has been used. I did ask Gail, “How was the experience?” She remarked, “The hardest part is getting the bikes out of the dock, but yes, we have ridden the bikes.”
May our pioneers be followed. May staff decide to add a cycle ride to their lunch; may students use the bikes to get to the Metro; and may the faculty pick the bike over the car. Gail and Elly have started a revolution in our shared behavior.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President